Oathkeeper
by zestycrouton
Summary: 'Each keychain is like... a friend. A memory of something special.' When Kairi starts asking Sora personal questions, she gets a little bit more than she bargained for. Sora/Kairi Oneshot


Ok, this is my first Kingdom Hearts Fanfic, so go a little easy on me. Plus, I was a tad rushed getting this done.

Anyway, I hope you like it... but then, who doesn't like Sora and Kairi?

* * *

"Alright, so tell me," Kairi said, arranging his key chains on the sand in front of them, gently separating their tangled chains with her pale, slender fingers. "Which one is your favorite?"

Sora leaned back against the trunk of their Paopu Tree, enjoying the cool evening breeze as he scratched the back of his head absently, studying the options before him. Now that their adventures were over, at least for the moment, Kairi was determined to spend as much time with her two favorite boys as humanly possible, which explained why she and Sora were still out on the island even though night had fallen hours before. Riku hadn't shown up today; something about meeting a student tutor about his horrendous math grades. Deep down, she was ashamed to say she was glad he wasn't there. She loved Riku and everything, but it was nice to have some alone time with Sora for a change.

"Um…" Sora said, his voice the only sound for miles other than the gentle lapping of the waves or the rush of the wind, "Well, I guess I'd have to say… this one."

He plucked the keychain off the end of the row and held it up so that the small, black crown dangled in front of them.

"What's it called?" Kairi asked eagerly, reaching out to take it from him, and feeling the familiar swoop in the pit of her stomach when their finger's brushed.

"Oblivion."

She giggled lightly as she let the crown rest in her palm, the inky black metal sharply contrasting with her skin, made almost ghostly white in the pale light of the moon.

"Wow, Sora. Who knew you were such an emo?"

"Wait, what? How am I an emo?" he exclaimed, sitting up and giving her an exasperated look.

She giggled again, realizing that she probably sounded a little touched in the head with all her laughter, but she didn't care. She always got this way when he was around. Being with Sora just made her feel… happy.

"Oblivion? That's like, the most depressing name I've ever heard!"

"Give me a break, Kairi!" he chuckled, linking his hands behind his head and flashing his signature grin. Feeling like her heart was rapidly turning into putty, she averted her gaze to hide her blush and continued examining the keychain.

"So why is this one your favorite?"

"Well, that's easy." he said, leaning back against the tree's oddly curved trunk. "It's definitely one of my toughest Keyblades. It fits easily in my hand, it's perfectly balanced, and it just looks so cool!"

"Yeah, sure." She said, rolling her eyes and waving the information off. "But why is it really? You have lots of powerful Keyblades. What makes this one so special?"

There was a pause during which Kairi, who had been staring out at the stars in the evening sky again, glanced back at Sora to find him awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Um…" he chuckled nervously, "You're going to laugh…"

"Sora," she chided, playfully flicking him on the nose. "I'm not gonna laugh, I swear."

"Promise?"

"That's what 'I swear' means, silly."

"Ok, well… Each keychain is like… a friend. A memory of something special. Some of them represent worlds that I've been to, and some reflect the friends that I've made."

"Ok, so… which one is this?"

"A friend." he said simply.

She waited a moment for him to continue, but when it became obvious that he wasn't going to, she cleared her throat in irritation and said,

"What friend?"

Sora snorted. "I'm not gonna tell you!"

Kairi gaped. "What? Why not?"

"Because. If I tell you, you'll tell him, and then I'll never live it down!"

"I would never-!" she started, affronted, before realizing his mistake. "Wait, him? Do I know him?"

Sora's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before he turned away, crossing his arms with a huff.

Kairi found herself giggling again. "Aw, come on Sora. Tell me who it is!"

"No." he grumped sourly.

She scooted closer to him, not caring that she'd messed up the line of key chains that had been arrayed between them, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Pretty please?" she said in a sing-song voice as she playfully rocked him back and forth.

She watched amusedly as his moody façade cracked and he succumbed to laughter.

"Ok, ok, fine. Just promise me you won't tell him."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." She said impatiently as she studied his face in anticipation.

Sora laughed again. "What, is it not obvious? It's Riku. Duh."

Kairi let out a loud, obnoxious 'Aww!' and pinched his cheek playfully. He swatted her hand away with a laugh and dived forward, exacting his revenge by tickling her sides mercilessly.

Kairi shrieked and thrashed around, struggling in vain to escape Sora's clutches.

"N-No! Haha- Stop! Stop it! Hahaha- Sora, please! It-haha-It hurts! Hahaha!"

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of torment, Sora pulled away. Kairi fell back against the tree trunk, her eyes streaming, gasping for breath as she found herself smiling up at Sora who was grinning back at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Gotcha!" he laughed, and Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, real mature Kairi." he said, rolling his eyes teasingly.

"Look who's talking!" she exclaimed in mock outrage, and the two subsided in another fit of laughter.

"So," she said once she'd caught her breath. "Riku, huh? I guess that explains the dramatic name. Figures that your favorite Keyblade ever would reflect him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, sending her a quizzical look. "And I never said it was my favorite Keyblade _ever_…"

Kairi, who had opened her mouth to give some teasing response to his first remark, suddenly found herself staring at him in confused surprise.

"What do you mean, not your favorite Keyblade ever? I just asked you which that was, and you told me Oblivion!"

Sora grinned back at her sheepishly. "Nuh-uh. You asked which of my Keyblades was my favorite, not what my favorite Keyblade ever was."

Kairi huffed and crossed her arms with a pout. "Well, what difference does it make?"

"A lot, actually." He said simply, stretching his lean body out on the sand, feet towards the ocean with his head on his hands. "Especially when you consider that it doesn't belong to me."

She blinked in surprise. "What doesn't? Your favorite Keyblade?"

"Mhmm." he mumbled from his position on the ground. His foot had started swaying to a melody he was obviously hearing in his head.

"Sora?" she asked, leaning over so she was looking directly down at him.

"Yeah?" he asked, peeking one eye open and gazing back at her.

"If your favorite Keyblade isn't yours, then… who's is it?"

He grinned cheekily up at her and shut his eyes again. "You're just full of questions tonight, aren't you?"

"Soraaa!" she whined playfully, as suddenly she found herself running her fingers through his spiky brown hair, grateful his eyes were closed so he couldn't see the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Kairiii!" he mocked, a small crooked smile growing on his face.

"Tell me!" she said, tugging on one of his spikes.

"Guess." he responded lazily.

"Ugh, fine. Is it… The King's?"

He chuckled again. "Nah. Our Keyblades are too similar anyway."

"Well then… is it one of Riku's?"

"Nope!" he responded cheerfully.

Sighing in frustration, she flicked Sora on the forehead and grumbled, "Why don't you just tell me instead of making me guess?"

Sora smiled in earnest and met her amaranthine eyes with his own mischievous cerulean ones.

"Because," he said simply, "This is way more fun."

Kairi leaned back and huffed again, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes in the process. This was another thing Sora often did- irritated her.

"Wanna hint?" Sora asked, amusement evident in his voice.

"Yes." Kairi growled impatiently.

"Ok." he said, sitting up and scooting closer to her.

"…It's not Riku's or the King's"

Kairi scowled at him. "Well no duh, you already told me that."

"Exactly!" he said brightly, and when she continued to glower he rolled his eyes and asked "Kairi, how many Keyblade wielders do you know?"

"Three." She said, still looking grumpy.

"No, four." Sora corrected.

"Four?" she said, perplexed.

"Yup. Four."

"But… wait, are you including Roxas?"

Sora laughed again. "No. I am Roxas, so… we're kind of a package deal."

"Well then… Who's the fourth?"

Sora stared at her blankly for a moment before he busted out laughing.

"Sora? What- Ugh, stop laughing and tell me!" She snapped. She could feel her cheeks growing warm in both frustration and embarrassment. He was making her feel stupid, which wasn't something Sora could usually do.

But Sora didn't answer, electing to continue his laughing fit on the ground.

"Fine!" she spat, climbing roughly to her feet and storming off.

"Hahaha, wha-? Wait, Kairi!"

She ignored him as she stalked angrily down the wooden bridge that connected the tiny island with their Paopu Tree to the larger one. Her footsteps thunked noisily on the aged wood, echoing in the night across the deserted shore.

"Aww, Kairi wait!" Sora whined, and suddenly she felt his hand grab hers and whirl her around so that she was facing him again.

"Kairi, are you mad at me?" he asked, his bright blue eyes clearly reflecting the worry in his voice. She had to try very hard not to let her anger fade away under that look.

"I don't appreciate being made fun of, Sora." She said coldly, turning away to storm off again, but his grip on her hand tightened, keeping her in place.

"I'm sorry, Kairi. I didn't mean it like that, it's just…" And suddenly, he was laughing again.

"What is so funny?' She said, flinging her free hand up in exasperation.

"It's you!" Sora said, fighting to keep the humor in his voice down.

Kairi scowled at him darkly.

"N-No, no, wait, that's not what I meant!" he said hastily, letting go of her hand and waving his own in the air frantically. "I meant, it's you. You're the other Keyblade wielder."

Kairi opened her mouth to fling some sarcastic retort back in his face before his words sunk in.

Oh.

"O-Oh…"

Sora grinned broadly again.

"So… Wait, are you saying that my Keyblade is your favorite Keyblade ever?" she asked, suddenly perplexed.

"Well… Yeah." he replied sheepishly, gazing down at his shoes.

Kairi stared at him blankly for a moment before erupting in a fit of giggles.

"Wha-? W-Why are you laughing?" Sora asked, his face burning red in embarrassment.

"Because!" She said, still giggling uncontrollably. "My Keyblade's just so… _girly!"_

Through the tears of mirth, Kairi watched Sora's expression change from dumbfounded to shocked realization to frantic embarrassment.

"Ah! No no, not that frilly flowery thing! That's not what I meant!" He exclaimed wildly, shaking his hands hastily in front of them.

"Well come on, Sora, what else could you have meant? It's the only Keyblade I have." she said, rolling her eyes at her embarrassed friend.

"No, that's not true." She quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion. "I mean, it is true, but it's not. I mean…"

"Sora," Kairi said, laughing again. "You're not making any sense. How can something be true if it isn't true?"

Sora sighed, running a hand absently through his messy hair. "What I meant was, I have a Keyblade that isn't technically mine, because it's keychain belongs to you."

"You have a…" Kairi started slowly, then her brow furrowed in confusion as she said, "Wait, when did I ever give you a keychain? I didn't even know about them til just now!"

"Well… it's not exactly a 'keychain' keychain. It's that charm; your lucky charm. You gave it to me when I left to close the keyhole at Hollow Bastion, remember?"

Suddenly, she felt the mood take a drastic change. She stared at him in awe. "My lucky charm is… a Keyblade?"

"Yeah… crazy, right?"

"What's it called?" She asked, her voice soft.

"Oathkeeper. I thought it seemed… fitting."

Kairi stared at her best friend, stunned. "And… it's your favorite Keyblade?"

Sora nodded silently, looking highly uncomfortable. His eyes remained glued to his sneakers while his hands fiddled nervously with the zippers on the pockets of his shorts.

"Sora?" Kairi said softly, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. "Why is my keychain your favorite?"

The silence between them seemed to swell as the wind picked up, blowing through their hair and clothing, howling through the trees of their tiny island.

After what felt like an eternity, he slowly tore his gaze away from his shoes and met her hesitant eyes with his own nervous ones. She could see fear and uncertainty jumbled together in sapphire irises, mingled with something else… something she couldn't put a name to, but it felt so familiar yet so thrilling all at once.

Unexpectedly, he reached out and caught her hands with his own, and she felt her breath catch as his rough and calloused skin met her delicate, soft fingers. Were they getting closer, or was she going crazy? Could this really be happening? She was awake, right? She wanted to slap herself to make sure, but that would require letting go of Sora, and she didn't feel like doing that.

He swallowed roughly, still looking terrified, and she felt her heart melt for the millionth time that night. He was so adorable when he got nervous…

Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and low. "Because it reminds me of my favorite person…"

And suddenly they were leaning in, his hands trembling as they moved from hers to her waist, and she found herself tangling her fingers in the front of his shirt. She was certain he ought to be able to hear her heart hammering in her chest as they inched impossibly closer, her eyelids fluttering shut, their lips millimeters apart…

And then…

She felt the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.

"You're wrong…"

Sora froze, and immediately she began mentally beating herself. Stupid Kairi! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, Kairi, I-I… I shouldn't have-" He stammered frantically, hurriedly letting her go and stepping away. Instantly, she felt cold. That wasn't normal… she'd never felt cold on her island before…

"No! Sora, wait!" She said desperately, catching his arms and pulling him back to her. "I-I just meant… It's not my keychain…"

"It's… what?" he said, clearly not following, his eyes still looking panicked.

With a shaky breath, she wrapped her arms around his neck, much to his surprise, and whispered, "It's yours… It's always been yours…"

She didn't even have time to ponder over whether he'd understand what she was trying to say before she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

The last sensation she felt was the wind picking up again, blowing fiercely through their hair as Sora slid his arms around her waist, and then she was lost. It was better than she could have imagined, and that was saying something. He was so incredibly warm, soft but firm. He smelled like the ocean, and tasted like those ice creams Uncle Scrooge was so fond of… What were they called again? Sea malt? Pea salt? She couldn't remember… she was having a hard time thinking straight…

After what felt like forever, although forever came much too soon in her opinion, Kairi felt Sora's hold on her waist start to slacken, and regretfully she let him pull away.

They were both breathing heavily, which surprised Kairi. How long had they been kissing? Sure, she'd lost track of time, but it couldn't have been THAT long… Another gust of wind swept past them, and she was stunned to find that her legs were having issues supporting her as she stumbled forward. Thankfully, Sora caught her, and as she debated pulling away to prove she could stand up on her own, she decided she didn't want to.

Looking up into his eyes, she was delighted to find his trademark goofy grin plastered on his face. Despite herself, she let one of her 'I'm with Sora' giggles escape, and before she knew it, they were both overcome with peals of laughter. Leaning against him for support, she placed her hands around his waist and buried her face in the crook of his neck, still giggling like mad until she felt him copy her gesture, resting his chin on her head.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time…" She admitted quietly, reveling in his warmth.

"Really?" he murmured, sounding surprised.

"Um, yeah?"

"Huh…"

"What?" She asked, pulling away slightly so she could look him in the eye.

"It's just… I always thought you had a thing for Riku…" he confessed.

Kairi made a face. "Riku? Ew, he's like… my brother!"

Sora chuckled. "And here I was, afraid that I was the brother."

"Never," she whispered, "otherwise, this'd be awkward."

Sora snorted. "Wow. Way to kill a moment."

Kairi slapped him arm good naturedly. "Shut up. You know you love me."

"Yeah, yeah." he said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway… we should probably go…"

Kairi groaned and slumped against him. "But I don't wanna…"

"I know. But your dad'll kill me if I keep you out much longer."

"No he won't." She grumped, her voice muffled against his shirt. "He adores you. I swear, he trusts you more than he trusts me."

"Somehow, I doubt that. Besides, I need him to like me if I'm gonna start dating his daughter."

Kairi grinned and turned her head up to look at her new boyfriend.

"Dating, eh?"

"Um… I mean, if you want to. You don't have to, I just thought…"

She silenced him by pecking him on the lips. "I'd love to… On one condition."

"What's that?" he asked, looking concerned.

"You get to tell Riku."

"What? He exclaimed, horrified. "No fair!"

"Do it, or I'll tell him about Oblivion!" She taunted, smirking in victory.

He sighed, defeated. "Remind me why I tell you things again?"

"Because I'm the most important person in your life, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that."

They stood there for a moment longer, staring at each other, until Sora finally caved.

"Ok, we'll go back in a bit…"

With a triumphant grin, she pulled him in for the first kiss of their relationship.

* * *

Ok, so... thoughts? Again, it's my first time in the KH fandom, and I have to say... this came out much fluffier than I had intended. Still, I hope it turned out ok.

Please, I beg of you, drop me a review so I know what you think, especially if you didn't like it so I know what to work on, though a few positive reviews wouldn't go amiss. hahaha.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and remember: Stay Zesty

ZC


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